29 Recipes To Practice Self Care This Month

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Marinara Over Linguine

These recipes will help you reach your self care goals for this month. Some are decadent for when you need to treat yourself, like the No-Sugar-Added Oatmeal Cookies. Others are low-lift to help you get dinner on the table and stay sane, like the 20-Minute Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Pesto Sauce. Give yourself some grace and feel your best this month (and remember not to stress about it).

01 of 29

Crunchy Cauliflower Bites with Curry-Lime Aioli

Crunchy Cauliflower Bites with Curry Lime Aioli

Reminiscent of chicken nuggets, this cauliflower is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies. Want to get another veg on your child's plate? This easy vegetable dish also works with broccoli and can be served as an appetizer, side or vegetarian main course. You can also swap in a dairy-free mayonnaise to make these easy cauliflower bites vegan.

02 of 29

Honeybee Gin & Tea Cocktail

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This easy yet sophisticated drink combines tea, honey and gin for an herbaceous cocktail that gin lovers will, well, love. For this "G & Tea" we use Earl Grey tea, which adds an extra floral kick to this tasty cocktail, but really any type of tea would work nicely here.

03 of 29

Greek Burgers with Herb-Feta Sauce

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These healthy burgers get a Mediterranean twist with a yogurt sauce seasoned with oregano, lemon and feta cheese. If you can't find ground lamb, ask the butcher to grind some for you.

04 of 29

Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Cookies with Dates

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Cookie recipes usually require you to combine the liquid ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in another, but for this gluten-free cookie recipe the dry ingredients are sprinkled right on top of the liquids so there's just one bowl to clean. Don't skip the step of refrigerating the dough. The oat flour needs time to hydrate or the cookies will be too dry and crumbly. Regular rolled oats work if you're not gluten-sensitive.

05 of 29

20-Minute Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Pesto Sauce

20-Minute Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Pesto Sauce

Serve these quick chicken cutlets with creamy pesto sauce over your favorite pasta or zucchini noodles. This easy dinner recipe is sure to become a new family favorite.

06 of 29

Pear, Gorgonzola & Walnut Salad

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The light and refreshing vinaigrette in this side salad offsets the tangy funk of Gorgonzola and sweetness from the raisins and pears. Even better, this salad celebrates fall and has beautiful colors. Feel free to get creative with this salad: Add chicken to make it meal-worthy, choose a different nut or swap Bosc pears for your favorite variety. Be sure to wait to dress this salad until ready to serve or the greens will wilt.

07 of 29

Kale-Butternut Squash Gratin

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This colorful gratin dish livens up any holiday plate. Creamy melted Gruyère is comforting, while a blend of cumin, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper lends a warm, spicy note.

08 of 29

Rainbow Veggie Pizza

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Add more veggies to your pizza night with this colorful rainbow pizza! This vibrant pie is a fun way to add a little bit more excitement to dinnertime.

09 of 29

Slow-Cooker Shrimp Posole Tacos

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Literally translated, "posole" means "hominy." Traditional posole dishes are soups or stews made with hominy along with pork, chicken or seafood. In these slow-cooker shrimp tacos, the hominy, cumin, oregano and shrimp render classic posole flavors that are amplified by the addition of typical posole toppings: cabbage, radishes, cilantro and lime. Toast the corn tortillas for extra crunch, if desired (see Tip).

10 of 29

Apple Crisp with Cranberries

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Sticking to its food-waste mission, L.A. Kitchen created this dessert to work with almost any fruit you have on hand. We've done it here with pears and apples, but you can use berries or even tropical fruits instead. The addition of dried fruit adds a concentrated hit of flavor you won't get from fresh alone.

11 of 29

Kale & White Bean Potpie with Chive Biscuits

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In this vegetarian white bean potpie recipe, kale and hearty white beans are topped with easy, homemade chive biscuits. If desired, add a little shredded Gruyère or Cheddar cheese to the biscuit dough.

12 of 29

Creamy Chicken & Mushrooms

Creamy Chicken & Mushrooms Recipe

Whether you scored wild mushrooms at the farmers' market, found cultivated maitake or shiitake at the supermarket or just have some baby bellas on hand, this healthy creamy chicken recipe is delicious with any of them. Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

13 of 29

Panko- & Parmesan-Crusted Baked Scallops

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These easy baked scallops have a delightful balance of crunchy, golden-brown topping and tender, sweet scallops. They feel decadent like scallops should, thanks to the tasty lemon-butter sauce. Look for uniform scallops; if they're particularly large, you might need to bake them for more than 10 minutes.

14 of 29

Best Caesar Salad with Crispy Parmesan

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For a nutrient-packed twist, this healthy Caesar salad features spinach and kale in addition to romaine. But it's the Parmesan crisps that make this salad holiday-worthy. Serve it for Thanksgiving or any other special meal.

15 of 29

No-Sugar-Added Oatmeal Cookies

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Classic oatmeal cookies without all the sugar, these better-for-you gluten-free treats get their sweetness from ripe bananas and chopped dates.

16 of 29

Pan-Seared Halibut with Creamed Corn & Tomatoes

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For this healthy fish recipe, you steep corncobs in milk; the resulting "stock" boosts the intensity of made-from-scratch creamed corn, plus extra starch from the corn contributes to its thick texture. This recipe calls for halibut—line-caught from the Pacific Ocean is the most sustainable option. Can't find it? Swap in Pacific cod or U.S. farmed tilapia instead. Serve this summery combination of seared fish, corn, tomatoes and basil for weeknight family dinners or to company on the weekends.

17 of 29

Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta

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If you've ever wanted to make a meal out of warm spinach and artichoke dip, this creamy pasta is for you. And here's what's almost as good as the flavor of this comforting dish: the fact that this healthy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare.

18 of 29

Whole-Grain Buttermilk Pancakes

Whole-Grain Buttermilk Pancakes

This healthy whole-grain buttermilk pancake recipe uses 100% whole-wheat flour, heart-healthy canola oil and just a tablespoon of sugar. Compared to most store-bought mixes or a classic recipe, this recipe saves about 30 calories, 3 grams saturated fat and 4 grams total sugar per serving, plus you'll dish up 2 extra grams of fiber. If you want to experiment with different types of whole grains, replace up to 1/2 cup of the whole-wheat flour with cornmeal, oats and/or buckwheat flour. Or add extra fiber and omega-3s by adding up to 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed or chia seeds.

19 of 29

BBQ Baked Potatoes with Pork & Broccoli

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Use leftover cooked pork to whip together these easy BBQ pork baked potatoes. Add steamed broccoli and Cheddar cheese to round out this easy healthy dinner.

20 of 29

Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots & Broccoli

Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots Broccoli

In this easy and healthy dinner recipe, sweet and savory baked honey-garlic chicken thighs come with a side of veggies that cook on the same sheet pan as the chicken. The honey-soy-garlic marinade for the chicken does double duty as an irresistible sauce to drizzle over everything. Lining your baking sheet with foil will protect your pan from the sticky honey-soy-garlic sauce, so cleanup will be a breeze too. If you can't find small carrots, cut medium carrots in half lengthwise.

21 of 29

Greek Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Greek Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

A mixture of tomatoes, spinach, feta, olives and fresh oregano gives portobellos a Mediterranean vibe in this healthy stuffed mushroom recipe. Serve these along with chicken, fish or tofu as a super-satisfying side dish, or add a hearty salad and make them the centerpiece of a vegetarian dinner.

22 of 29

Baked Banana-Nut Oatmeal Cups

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Muffins meet oatmeal in these moist and tasty grab-and-go oatmeal cups. Feel free to swap out the pecans for any other nut--walnuts would be great--or omit them altogether. Make a batch on the weekend and keep them in your fridge or freezer for quick and easy breakfasts all week. Reheat in the microwave for about 40 seconds.

23 of 29

Tinola (Filipino Ginger-Garlic Chicken Soup)

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Lisa Cassell-Arms

Tinola, a comforting chicken soup seasoned with plenty of ginger and garlic, has countless variations throughout the Philippines. The soup calls for malunggay leaves (aka moringa), which can be found fresh or frozen at Asian markets. Bok choy is a good substitute. Feel free to increase the amounts of garlic and fish sauce for an even more flavorful soup. Serve this easy and healthy chicken soup on its own or with jasmine rice, quinoa or wild rice.

24 of 29

Grapefruit Elderflower Spritz

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The combination of gin, grapefruit and elderflower seems to be a new, trending combination in cocktails. Our version is super straightforward, but the twist is that we call for spiked grapefruit-flavored seltzer. We think it makes it that much more delicious and refreshing.

25 of 29

Slow-Cooker Spicy Mussels in Tomato-Fennel Ragu

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Cooking mussels in a slow cooker? You bet! It's the right tool for building the rich and spicy broth in which these shellfish cook to perfection. Use the freshest mussels you can find, and have the fishmonger clean them for you.

26 of 29

Greek Salad Nachos

Greek Salad Nachos

This vegetarian nacho recipe is a fun combination of two favorites—nachos and Greek salad. It uses whole-grain pita chips instead of the tortilla chips used in traditional nacho recipes, and it's loaded with the classic fresh vegetables in Greek salad as well as creamy hummus and salty feta cheese. And it doesn't even need the oven! Easily doubled, this makes a great appetizer or light dinner.

27 of 29

Smoked Gouda-Broccoli Soup

Smoked Gouda Broccoli Soup

Smoked paprika and smoked Gouda give this broccoli-and-cheese soup recipe a double hit of smoky flavor. If you can't find smoked Gouda, smoked Cheddar gives delicious results as well.

28 of 29

Almond & Pear Rose Tarts

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These pretty little two-bite almond and pear tarts are perfect for party buffets, especially in the fall when pears are in season. Thinly slicing the pears lets you roll up the tarts more neatly, giving you a bakery-worthy presentation. If you have a mandoline, this is a good time to pull it out. Cold puff pastry is important to ensure you get irresistibly flaky results. Want to make this easy, healthy dessert gluten-free? Just swap in gluten-free puff pastry, found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. And don't forget to use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend to roll it out!

29 of 29

Make-Ahead Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

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This easy, cheesy broccoli quiche gets its creamy texture from evaporated milk. It's also a great recipe to make ahead: simply reheat before serving or cut into slices and reheat each morning for breakfast. Using pre-cut microwaveable broccoli cuts down on prep time, but if you have broccoli crowns sitting around, go ahead and use those up. Just be sure to cook the broccoli until it's just barely tender or the final dish will have overcooked, soggy broccoli.

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